


Throughout The Years

by Hekate1308



Series: Right Timing [4]
Category: Endeavour (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Married Couple
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-13 12:03:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13570224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hekate1308/pseuds/Hekate1308
Summary: She’s lost count on how many times she’s gone to the hospital because of her father’s and husband’s work. Dad is long retired now, of course, and even Endeavour ahs settled down somewhat, but she’s still not surprised when she gets the call.





	Throughout The Years

The first time it happens, they’ve only been officially engaged about a month. They’re still looking for a house to move in, although Joan spends most of her week nights at his flat (having argued that it is closer to the bank, prompting an amused smile from Mum and a rather sad sigh of defeat from Dad).

There’s still so much left to do.

And yet that evening the phone rings and somehow she knows before Mum picks up. Something’s happened.

On the way to the hospital Mum explains that it was just some constable whose name she can’t remember, and that there was an explosion at one of the buildings Dad and Endeavour led a raid on. No one seems to know who is hurt, and how severely.

Joan takes her mother’s hand and prays. She can’t lose him, not after everything they’ve been through to get here.

She has a strange feeling of déjà vue when she enters the hospital only to find Morse and Dad standing at the reception, a bit banged up but otherwise healthy; it’s almost like the day Mum and Dad found out about them; but she couldn’t care less as she once again throws herself into his arms and Mum starts to berate Dad for not instructing the constable to be more precise over the phone.

“I wish you’d be more careful” she tells him that night in bed. As always they’re cuddling; his bed is so small one of them would fall out if they didn’t.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

“You should start trying it from time to time. You’re not the single copper who can do what he wants anymore, you know.”

“technically I am still single.”

She boxes his shoulder. “Say that again and you’ll stay that way.”

Silence reigns for a few moments. Then, he says, “I’m sorry, love.”

* * *

They have just returned from their honeymoon when it happens again, and this time it’s much worse. The killer tried to shoot Dad and Morse jumped in front of the bullet. They’re operating on her husband when Joan arrives at the hospital, shaking and weak and hating herself for being so. Endeavour needs her to be strong. Endeavour needs her to get through this.

Because Dad has been called away to tell Superintendent Bright exactly what happened, she finds Strange and Debryn waiting for her and tries not to resent the pathologist for making her think of the morgue.

“He’s stable so far” Strange reports, his face pale. “At least that’s what they told us.”

“Chest wounds are tricky, but Morse is young and strong, and he’s put on some weight. He’ll pull through” Debryn states as if it’s an undeniable fact, and she clings to taht. He’s a doctor too, in a fashion, he has to be right.

When they are told Endeavour is out of danger, she hugs them both.

Dad arrives shortly after, looking like he did that day she can vaguely remember, when she and Sam were very small and they were living in London and she heard him utter the name “Carter” for the first and last time. “How is he?”

“He’s going to pull through, Dad.”

Her father sighs. “I gave him a hard time when I first found out… and even after I told myself I’d got over it now and then… and he just… jumped in front of me. Didn’t even blink.”

“He’s your bagman.”

He nods. “That he is. But he’s be much more now, isn’t he?”

It’s the first time he’s openly acknowledged that Endeavour is indeed his father-in-law and living with his daughter aside from their Sunday lunches. Her husband told her that he never alludes to it at work.

“Yes, he is.”

It’s only then that she starts crying; she’s been holding herself together for hours now, but with her father there –

HE holds her tightly and whispers reassurances in her hair.

Endeavour wants to leave the hospital the second he wakes up, of course. She puts her foot down.

He stays in hospital three weeks, plus two months at home before she’ll allow him to go back to work.

She understands now, why Mum tells Dad to come home safely to her every single day.

* * *

Fred is already happily running around and causing havoc, and she’s preparing to give birth to who will turn out to be little Prue when their phone rings one afternoon. The man on the line is very respectful and makes it clear in the first few sentences that both Endeavour and Dad are alive, well, and have just accompanied a colleague to the hospital. They must have put the fear of God in him lest he upset her.

Joan has the feeling that there’s more to the story, and if that is so, Endeavour needs her. She takes Fred in her arms and gets a taxi.

Her husband is standing apart from the others in a corner, and so she entrusts their son to his grandfather, who’s as always overjoyed to see him, and joins him.

“You didn’t have to come” he says quietly.

“Of course I did” she replies, kissing him. “What happened?”

“It’s Fancy – George.”

She’s met the DC who came to replace Endeavour when he was made Sergeant a few times, although her husband isn’t as close to him as to Jim or Max.

“He – “ Endeavour swallows. “It was dangerous. We knew the man was armed. I wanted to go in, but Fancy appealed to Bright. Said I had a wife and a young one and another on the way, and that I couldn’t take that risk.”

Silently, she agrees; she knows he has to do his job, of course, but why does it always have to be him to try and save the world?

That’s not an opinion he needs to here right now, though, so she simply takes him in her arms.  “We’ll have him over for dinner, when he’s well again” she decides. “If he’s anything like you, he hasn’t had a proper meal in months.”

“Hey, I can cook.”

“Because i taught you after we were married.”

“Yes, well…”

They are interrupted by Fred calling out, “Daddy! Grandpa is tickling me!”

It’s exactly the right timing. He smiles for the first time since they arrived and goes to save their son.

* * *

She’s lost count on how many times she’s gone to the hospital because of her father’s and husband’s work. Dad is long retired now, of course, and even Endeavour ahs settled down somewhat, but she’s still not surprised when she gets the call.

This time, it’s her husband calling her, and he simply breathes, “IT’s Robbie.”

Oh dear. He and his Sergeant have grown quite close, and she likes him very much as well. And then his poor wife, with the kiddies still so small.

She leaves a note for her children on the kitchen table and drives to the hospital.

The waiting room hasn’t changed much since the time a young woman desperately threw herself into her lover’s arms in front of her parents.

She recognizes one of the women sitting on an uncomfortable plastic chair from a picture Robbie showed her one morning when he came over to discuss a case.

“Mrs. Lewis?” she asks, approaching her. She looks up. “I’m Mrs. Morse. Joan.”

She smiles weakly. “Please, call me Val. DCI Morse was so nice to go in search of a doctor…”

“Do you know what happened?”

“They were chasing a suspect and he lured into an abandoned building. The floor gave way under Robbie.”

“Same happened to Endeavour once, when he was a young constable” she remembers. “I really hope he’ll get better soon.”

“Thank you.”

For a while, they sit in silence, then Val says, “You never really get used to it, do you.”

“No” she answers. “One time he took a bullet for his DCI. I thought I was going crazy.”

“At least it wasn’t that” she sighs.

Joan squeezes her hand. “I’M sure he’ll be quite fine.”

Endeavour returns, looking relieved. “He has a concussion, nothing worse, thank God.”

Val thanks him and hurries off to see her husband. Joan takes his hand. “Told the kids to eat what was in the fridge… how about we go to a nice restaurant and relax?”

He smiles at her.

Despite her frequent hospital visits, it’s in moments like this that she knows she made the right choice all those years ago when she said yes.


End file.
